The 5th edition of RevOlution was held at Hotel Highway Inn International, beside the Dhulagarh toll plaza, as bikers and enthusiasts made their way from Kolkata to the highway on December 10. The event, organised by Tornado Riders was presented by Castrol Power 1 with My Kolkata as the digital media partner. Over 1,500 people were there to witness the event and watch their favourite set of wheels light up before them. All proceeds from the event will go towards providing blankets and food to those who will need it this winter
All photographs by Soumyajit Dey
Over 1,300 bikes were present at the arena with everything on display from scooters to daily commuters, all the way up to cafe racers and superbikes of various kinds. For most of the bike lovers, the sheer number of Kawasaki Ninjas present would be a sight for sore eyes but when they started revving their engines together the smell and noise would only please a true motor enthusiast. Never would you see so many Hayabusa bikes in different colours together. A few more notable features were a Harley Davidson, a few Triumphs as well as a fleet of BMW RRs. The event was somewhat a biking paradise
Honda Bigwing Kolkata had a surprise for those gathered as they launched their latest adventurer the Transalp which caught the eye of several present as well as the few who got a test ride of the newest set of wheels from Honda. Biking gear of various kinds plus bike accessories and vlogging equipment were all up for sale as well as a few eye-catching helmets that help you look cool and ride safe were all up for purchase as Moto Mores and Gear Up set up stalls at the event
Bikers took part in an agility and control test as a track made of cones guided them to make sharp turns and a double 8, all while having full control of their bikes and making it past the finish line in quick time without having their foot touch the ground more than twice. A third touch meant the contestant would be disqualified. A disheartened audience watched on as rider after rider failed before one person made it all the way round to bring loud cheers from the onlookers. The Tornado Riders eventually showed up the participants as they took to the track once the contestants got done and made the whole layout look like a cakewalk
Several vloggers were present at the event and they kindly took selfies with their subscribers. A felicitation ceremony took place where several biking clubs and groups who had turned up in numbers were recognised for their efforts in making RevOlution 2023 a huge success. Among those who were felicitated, a man stood out as he was recognised for his Herculean efforts that saw him take his rickshaw from Kolkata to Ladakh, yes, you guessed it! Satyen Das was also present, the same man who took a 65-day and 3,000km-long journey back in 2014 in his cyclerickshaw
The most awaited part of the evening received huge cheers from the audience who had been on their feet all day to witness a stunt show. A show that featured several wheelies, a lot of burnouts and donuts galore saw The Smokey Riders take centre-stage with their stunt show that was a marvel to watch, bikers riding backwards, standing on their bikes in what some would call the ‘Jesus Christ’ (a stunt where the rider has both feet up on the seat and stands tall with his arms raised to the side). The bike stunts were followed up by a group of cyclists who did similar stunts with their cycles, wheelies and handsfree cycling was just the tip of it all at what was an outstanding performance
Those who came had a day to remember for sure as they walked around the venue all day long clicking pictures and hearing the engines roar. Finally, the crowd sat down for a while after a day's excitement before being brought to their feet once again as they were rocked by the performers on stage who rolled back the years and set the stage on fire before the night ended
After an adrenaline-packed day for bikers and enthusiasts all the same, the biggest biking get together was brought to a close by Cactus who brought the audience even closer together as the winter chill set in after sunset. Cactus took to the stage and rocked it like they always do while the crowd sang along with them to sign off RevOlution 2023 with a beat and a bang
